Jacking apparatus



Jan. 22,v 1935. J. GUTMAN'N, JR., Er AL 1,938,447

JACKING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 28, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 M11 111 INVENTOR 501W 5%.

E ATTORN EY Jab. 22, 1935. J. GUTMANN; JR, ET AL JACKING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 28, 1930 4 sheets sheet 2 J. GUTMANN, JR ET AL Jan. 22, 1935.

- JA KING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 28, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Jan. 22, 1935 PAT JACKI NG AP PARATUS I John Gutmann yjn, St. Albana-N,Y.,:and Austin M. Wolf, Newark, N. J.

Corporation, New ,Yo of "New York Application August 28, 13 cla m This-inven'tion relates to jacking apparatus for motor vehicles, and is an improvementoverjacking apparatus disclosed in "our application for patent bearing Serial Number 469,015, filed Jan. 19, 1931.

An object of thepresent invention'is to'provide a motor vehicle :with a jack unit mounted,

centrallyon each axle of the vehicle, "a power take-01f on the transmission, and driving mechanism therebetween, the system being built into themotor vehicle and whereby the power required to operate the jacks is derived fromthe engine of the car; i

Further objects of the invention reside in the provision of gears in jack-operating mechanism by which power take-off is efiected directly from the present transmission gears, the system being so adapted that it may be incorporated as standard equipment in -association with the transmission mechanism; in novel and inexpensive control means operated from the dash for selective operation of either jack for upward or downward movement thereof; in means ,to control proper shifting of the control meansin the proper position; in improved means for rendering inoperative the power take-off mechanism when. the jack has reached its limit of movement in either di rectiO l; in meansito prevent the operation of the iack' from being continued in the direction in whichit was last moved; in means for normally supporting each jack in horizontal, elevated 'positionwhen inoperative; in means which'become automatically operable upon the starting of the jack operating mechanism to'swing the jack down into verticaloperating position and automatically operable to swing the jack back into ,normal horizontalvinoperative position at the'limit of the retracted stroke of the jack.

The invention has for a further object thepro vision of a device of theclass' mentioned which is of simple, durable construction, dependable in use and efficient in action. i

These and other objects, which will become more apparentias the description progressesare obtained by the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings,-forming a material part-of this disclosure and in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of a motor vehicle chassis with the invention shown in full lines;

Figure 2 is a'section taken on line 2-2 of Fig-,

ure 1;

Figure 3 is a section taken on line3--3'of Figure 1.

assignorsto Motor Jack rk, N. Y., a corporation 1950, Serial hlo. 478,384

Figure 4 is a mo r Figure 5 isa plansection'showing power takeoff as applied to .the transmission ,of, motor ve;- hicle. i Figure 6 is a sectional View taken along the line 6 6 of Figure 5..v t V Figure '7 is a sectional view taken one. line of Figure e. o v Figure, 8 is a sectional of Figured.

Figure"9 is a similar View taken .on a 1ine39-9 of Figure 7 through the spring detent pin;

Figure 10 is a sectional view taken on a' line 10- 10 ofiFigure 8. o r

Figure '11 is a detail indicating notches for the shift shaft.

Figure 12 are views .showing thejselector shifter handle used in the invention. t Figure '13 is a sectional view through itheipowe'r take-101T sleeve, showing the ends of the selective jack driveshafts.

- .FigureM-is a vertical sectional view ore-jack dined-form of "rear. jack mountsubstantially 7'- -1?7 view taken onja line the positioning as applied to the front axle of a motor vehicle and shown in a horizontal and outof-use position. Figure 15 is a sectional view taken on a line l5- -"-15'.of Figure '14. c Q Figure 16 is a vertical sectionalview of. the jack shown in" Figure jl i i n avertic'al and readyto -use position. The broken lines indicating the inactiveposition of the jack foot.

Figurel'l is a detail of the spring for thejack foot wn t v I Figure ,.18 lis a sectional view 'taken on a line l $+118 of Figure 14.

Figure "19 is a front limiting means; H Figure '20 'indicates various view or tnel ack swi e automatic throw-out finger. The description of'an embodiment of the invention follows. Starting with the power ftakeofi 20am referring to Figure 5, a conventional three speed and reverse transmission isshown; The only difference lies in the aperture ingand the machined face on, the side of thecase adjacent to the first speed and reverse gears re spectively, '18 and 27,0: the countershaft. The plane passing through the main and countershafts is shown horizontal, in conformity with the present trend and because it favors the en semble; Two stamped gears, 28 and 29', 'witha spacer '30 between them, are secured to the tube V i ,Azsingl'e gear could be use "posiubns or the a aerate-memo housing) and a rigidshaft be used in the-rear wherethere are no space restrictions. A collar 36 1 is secured to shaft 32, abutting tube 31;;on;oneside and the retainer 37 on the other and within which it freely turns. A 'sirnilarf collar 38"and-' retainer 39 afiixes shaft 34 fto'tube;31,"with,'ro, tational freedom. In this mariner, any axial shifting of gears 28-29 and tube31 is accompanied by shafts 32 and 34'..,"JA collar'40, also'i welded to tube 31, provides space between itself. and gear 29 for a shifting fork. If the gears' ,23- 29-areshifted totheleft gear 28 engages the first speed gear 18'. If the shift is made to the right, the reverse idler 2'lisengagedand the tube ,31rotates infthe' oppositedirection. The arrows in Figure 6"indi'cat'e'therotation of the various gears under the latter condition- Looking toward the'f'ront of thecar from behindthe trans.-

mission the tubefil rotates in" a clock-wisedirection.

a grooved collar 41 isslidably mountedon tube 31 arid'has a pin 42 secured to it and reposingin theslots 24 of thev tube. .Shif-ting collar 41 to the leftlor right causes pin '42 to-engage the notched, end 43 of either. shaft 32 or34 and thereby 'conveys thedrive from gears,28.29,toeither .shaft.,;.;.The mechanism just described is a selecting'clutch'. K I

, The-manual .contr'l for I thejpower take-off mechanism shown in Figure 7. A handle 44 ontheinstrument board 1 (see Figures 1 and 12) actuatesthe controlshaft45 through the intermediary of" the flexibleshaft 46. v' lfhe latter is housed within a. protecting and guiding casing 47. Pushing handle 44. toward the board shifts shaft 45 to, the right of Fig. '7. At the same time shifting. fork-48 wis -similar1y actuated. In this event, gear 29 engages the reverse idler 27. This gearing. isused for jacking up the'car because o the resultantgreater .reduction as compared withgeai3281-meshing with the first, speed gear. The"latter gearingislusejd for letting the car down which, of course, requires. less effort than raising. "The operator first decides whether the car; is tob ejacked up or lowered, and he 'then piishesbrpulls handle 44 accordingly. After thus selecting the proper gear drive, he decides which of thetwo jacks is to be operated. Swinging the handle tothe right-or left, effects this choice. Proper co-ordination. of the various movements is prescribed by an H slot to be described; later. Q I

Aplate49-on the-instrument below the handle 44 indicates :the proper direction of rotation for theselection of either=jack.. Rotating handle 44 to th e ;rig ht (as viewed by operatorfrom the seat), causes counter clockwise-rotation of shaft 4 5,; viewed from the left or front end. Pin 2-1, Secm'edto'shaft45 and-riding'in a helical slot 50, fQ lmedinthe hubj51 of shifting fork 56, shifts the. latter to theleft, thuspicking up the front shaft 32j and ;imparting rotation thereto from tube 31; (Clock-wiserotation shifts fork 56to the right, causing clutching of the rear shaft 34. As theihubc53-ofi fork 48 is rotationally'free on shaft 45, it does not move when fork 56 is shifted.

A collar 54 is fixed to shaft 45 at each side of the hub of fork 48. Movement of collars 54 requires only axial movement of shaft 45, while rotation of the latter is required to move fork 56. I The H slot mechanism controlling proper shifting, is shown in'Figures 9, 10 and 11. a A thimble 5'? is slidably mounted in a hole'in shaft 45. Within it is a slidable detent pin 58, a spring 59 between the two tending to spread them apart. In this way the thimble 57 bears against the circular insert 60, dropping into notches 61 in the latter in'thev neutral, down and up positions. .Pin 58 bears against the sleeve 62 which holds insert 60. The two ends of the insert are brought together, with a slot forming the cross slot of the H corresponding to the space formed when mounted in the sleeve. Within the cross slot of the H rides detent pin 58, from the neutral position to either of the gear engagement positions. Rotary-motion of shaft 45 is thereby prevented till the pin 58 reaches either end of the slot. Now after either gear 28 or 29 has meshed with thefirst speed or reverse idler gears 18, 2'7,

respectively, rotary motion can be imparted to shaft 45, thereby picking upf either the front or .rear jacks. As shown in Figure 9, notches 61 at either extreme of the shaft rotation allow thimble 57 to dropin'to prevent collar 41 from shifting.

1. fAs will be explained further on, either jack automatically throws the gears of the power takeoff into neutral when at either end of the jacks stroke. The movement is imparted by thev jacks to either drive shaftand in turn either shaft 32 Figure '11, .as. compared with three individual notches at either end of insert 60. The automatic throw-out-causes pin ,58. to ride up the bevel 63 and slide .parallel to the central portion ofthe H-slot upon 'the'innersurface of insert 60 to a position intermediate the two transverse portions of the Heslot. The operator has only to turn handle 44 which is now in its neutral in-and-out position. I H v Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3 the flexible shaft 33 within the'cas'ing 64 conveys the drive from the power take-01f to the front'jack unit 65, mounted on the-front axle 66. Due to the jack assuming the positionshown in thedotted lines, shaft'33 is offset toward the left, making a more favorable position for it. The rear jack 69 derives its power from shaft 34, through the universally jointed shaft 67 and finally shaft 68. Jack 69 is mounted in a boss 70 formed on the pinion shaft housing '71 of rear axle 72. If so desired, it can be placed to the rear of the axle as shown in Figure 4, support being aboss '73, forming part of rear cover plate '74. The jack center head does not necessarily coincidewith the center of the axle, as when one end is up stability is obtained'from the contact of the'other axles wheels with the ground, making a three-point support. In'. the event that it isdesirable to be able'to jack-up both ends, the feet of the jacks are enlarged Figure 16).

and surrounds half of shaft 78.

andttheaiacksican be e'b ughtzqnite close to center ui-tab e d s n to a commodate themivin. this pos ion. 7 i I Themethodof jjack'operation, will be explained with particular reference toethe front axle appli- "cation; as the rear jack functions in like-manner. .In-Eigure 1-4-,;wh-ich is a vertical:section-through :the driving shaft. with the; jack out of action; it

will be; seen thattheunit is supported in a, boss 16. iorged; integrally with the front axle bed 66. The; fiexibledrive shaft 33 from the power take- :off, terminates shait '18. At the left end of same two; external splinesllQ mate with correspondingtinternalsplinesBQ inside wornr 8-3, The fdijfierent positionsassumed.hylshaft 7 8 are: the one shown, (neutraF for; the powentake ofi gears) and the two indicated by the dotted lines .81; and'8-2. Shaft 18. is theretore continual driving-commotion with worm- 83, regardlessof its position. The worm rides directly within a bored .hole in the. housing; 65. the outside of the teeth forming therjournal of; the bearing thus made. Worm-whee l L. driven by worm 83, has an internal thread. which receives the threaded rodeo. In Figure 16, the thread extends, from line T to the top of rod 85. A base 75 is secured toits bottom. Figure 16, shows the jack in a vertical position ready to. operate.

To swing the jack from its normally horizontal positionto, a, vertical operating position, a washer 86. is secured: to the upper end of the threaded rod '85. v For a limited distance at the beginning of its travel (and similarlyat the end of its travel when retracting), the washer 86. travels within the nest of fiat springs 87, secured at the upper end 0i a protecting tube 88. The added "-resistance thus encountered causes a drag and the jack-unit revolves momentarily with drive shaft 33, whose rotation is clock-wise (looking toward the front).

The extension 89 of the housing 65 swivels in the front axle boss and is machined withla tongue '90that fits into a corresponding groove in washer 91. The latter 'ha'sa rearwardly extending boss 92 which rides a milled slot in the axle .boss. The shape of boss. .92 permits an easy machining operation 'forthe slot. Figure 19 indicates same,

viewed 'from the front, and shows the limit of travel for the jack unit. If one were to disregard the I-beam shown in Figure '14, this view would be a horizontal section of the jacl; through the worm axis; with the jack in the vertical position. The extension 93, maybe made a continuation of worm 83, to provide manual operation of the jackif desired, in the event of engine failure. The'end 93oan be formed to fit the rim or wheel wrench brace, or other convenient tool.

.Thelthreadedrod :85 has a keyway '94 extending down to the bottom of :a key-block (see At. either end of the jack travel, the end of the keyway 94 moves the key-=block 95, which in turn causes the automatic throwout. 'The key portion 95' of block 95 also prevents rotation of .rod 85, restricting its movement to upand down. As seen in Figure15, the block portion 95 is guided in a slot 96 in the casing 65 and is provided with an elongated hole9'6". Into the latter extends apin 97 integral with a bellcrank consisting of .arms .98 and 99. The latter, through the intermediary of link 100, shifts the sliding. member 101 on rod 102. The .arm 193 rig-id with sliding member .101 extends toward, This bearing on shaft 78 .is merely to keep member 101 in line. A finger .104 pivoted to arm. 103, is normally in in a clock-wise direction.

the position shown by the dottedlines in, Fig. 14, a spring 105 holding it thus. Let us considerffior the moment thatthe finger- 104 is fixed :in the dotted line position and pivoted to arm 103.

The jack is up. To'drop-the jack andraisethe car, gear 29, is meshed with. the reverse idler.

In this rearward shift of tube '31, shafts 33 and 68 are also carried rearwardly; and with them shaft 78 and the corresponding shaft of the rear jack. The splined connections permit this movement; at the same time a collaryloo, secured'toshaft '78-,travels rearwardly or to the right of Fig. 14,

Ai bronze washer 107 is located at, each side of collar 10,5 and a lightsshell 108 is spun overv the assembly. A thrust hearing, for thrustin, either direction, is thus provided. The assembly 106 now lies adjacent to the arm 103. Shaft '32 is now picked up by pin 42 and powerconveyed to the. front jack Icy-means of shaft 33 which rotates Worm 33 is righthanded, resultingin counter clock-wise rotation .of worm wheel 84. The thread on rod:8 5 is righthand and the rodtherefore descends. If the jack One. cannot attempt to continue to drop thejack arm .103 blocks the shaft 73 and the power take-off slidingassembly. Qne can move same forward or to the leftand engage first speed-gear, which imparts the opposite rotation to shaft 33 and the jacl; is raised or the car lowered. The collar assembly 106 is now to the lei t against the end of finger 104 e a V I When the'block 95 is raised, neutral position is again attained. This sequence is diagrammatically indicated in Figure 2Q with reference to the vertical line, :cr wherein fa indicates the positions of finger l04 block 103 andcollar 1 06, when the jack is up and power take-off in neutral; b the positions of the said respective elements when the mechanismlis set ,to'lower the jack c? the positions .of the said respectiveelements when the automatic throwwout is, actuated to bring the power take-off back. to neutral; d the positions of the said respective elements when the mechanism is set to raise the jack; and e the positions of the said respective elements when theautomatic throw-out is: actuated toibrin'g the power .takeeofiback to neutral. The arrows show the direction in which the indicated elements are moved.

In so far as one jack is concerned, a rigid mem ber v1O3.104 would'sufiice but as both jacks, front and rear, have sliding members, one would block the outer under certain conditions. Therefore finger 104 is hingedas previously described. When the jack is raised to its extreme position; the" final rearward movement of member 101 causes the small ar-m 109 which is rigid with arm 104 to 'oorne into contact with :the washer "110, thereby raising the finger 10.4 to the position shown in full, in Figure 1.4. In order to efiiect'the shifting of thecontrol mechanism to neutral-during thetfinal upward movement of the-jack, the spring lll'maintainshlock 95 in its lowesttposir. tion until the bottom of slot 94 contacts, with and raises it. Either jack can then heoperated Qil Git

without interference of one controlwith the other.

Assuming the parts to be in the relative positions shown in Figure 14, the operator might lower the jack only part way and then raise it again, thereby avoiding the automatic throwout. Collar assembly106 is originally moved to the right to lower the jack. The operator then returns it to the neutral position shown and passes on to the left in order to raise the jack. In so doing, assembly 106 would escape from finger 104. At the beginning of the jack travel in its descending direction, block also moves with it. The initial slight movement of member 101 allows finger 104 to drop into place and prevent any escapement.

Whenthe jack is raised, the additional resistance at the end of the stroke offered by the springs 87 when washer 86 enters between them, causes the jack assembly to swivel in its mounting andfollow the counter clock-wise rotation of shaft 33. The foot '75 is now in close proximity to a spring pressed latch 112 which is nested in boss 113 forged in the axle bed (see Figure 17) A slight further movement of the mechanism before 'the automatic throw-out occurs brings the jack foot '75 toward the left (see right portion of Figure 16). Inthis way the jack is caught and held in the horizontal position.

When the jack is lowered, the foot '75 first moves horizontally to the right of Fig. 16, rides over the latch 112 and the jack unit swings into a vertical position. To prevent rattling, a taper 114 is provided on the latch (see Figure 1'7), its spring 115 providing an automatic take-up, thus furnishing a wedging action between latch 112 and foot '75. The springs 8'7 also provide an anti-rattle means. In the event that the jack should hesitate to swing to its horizontal position, due to any outside resistance or restriction 'anism may be provided.

When the jack is up, the operator might attempt to raise it again. This would be possible because the raised finger 104 (Figure 14) would not block the operator from getting into mesh with the first. speed gear and then fpicking-up either jack. A parallel contingency is impossible when the jack is all the way down as the automatic throw-out would only allow the selection of the first speed countershaft gear, which is the logical one to next use, and the operator is blocked by arm 103 in attempting to again mesh the reverse idler.

Referring to Figures 7, '8, 9 and 10, the keys 119 and 120 are separated by the spacer 121. The latter has the strips'122 secured to it which holds the keys in place, against the filler ring 60. A semi-circular spacer 123 completes the circumference. A spring 124 also holds the keys in place and adds friction which retains them in whatever position they might be shifted. Referring to Figure 10, the neutral position of pin 58 is shown. The regular shifting to raise the A to B. Suppose the automatic throw-out took pin 58 from position B'parallelto the central portion of H-slot, as previously explained. The key 120' is shifted by pin 58 to the right as shown by the dotted lines of Fig. 10. Turning the handle 44 on the dash, pin 58 walks out of the key slot 126 to normal neutral. If the previous shift that is, the shift to'raise the jack were attempted, the'key 120 would block pin 58 at A and no pickup could be enacted. However, when the next action is made, to lower the jack, pin 58 in shifting from C to D throws the'key 120 back to its former position wherein its slot 126 registers with the extreme end of the right-hand (Fig. '10) transverse position of the H-slot and a subsequent A-B shift is possible. The sliding action of the key is obtained due to the rounded corner thereof.

As changes of construction could be made within the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

While we have shown and described a'preferred form of embodiment of this invention we are well aware that other modifications may be made and we therefore desire a broad interpretation of the invention within the scope and spirit of the disclosure herein and the claims appended hereto. Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Paten is:

1. In combination with the transmission of 'a motor vehicle, having a forward gear and a reverse gear, a power take-off for jacking apparatus, adapted for operative engagement with the forward gear and the reverse gear, selectively.

2. In combination with a motor vehicle transmission having a gear on the countershaft and a reverse idler, a power take-off for jackingapparatus adapted for selective operative engagement with the gear and the idler.

3. In combination with the first speed gear and reverse gear of the transmission of a motor vehicle, a power take-off for jacking apparatus adapted for selective operative engagement with the said speed and reverse gears.

4. In combination with a motor vehicle transmission having a gear on the countershaft and a reverse idler, a power take-off for jacking apparatus; said power take-off having a shaft, and rotative means on the shaft adapted for selective operative engagement with the gear and the reverse idler, by which the-shaft may be driven in either direction.

5. In a jacking apparatus, the combination with a control shaft movable longitudinally and rotatably and two jack shafts arranged in axial alinement, and a shiftable means associated with the control shaft and jack shafts; means to move the jack shafts longitudinally in either direction depending upon the longitudinal movement of the control shaft and to move the shiftable means in either direction depending upon the direction of rotation of the control shaft.

6. In a jacking apparatus, the combination with a control shaft movable longitudinally and rotatably and two jack shafts arranged in axial alinement, and a shiftable means associated with the control shaft and jack shafts; means to move the jack shafts longitudinally in either direccoming automatically operative upon the applition depending upon the longitudinal movement of the control shaft and to move the shiftable means in either direction depending upon the direction of rotation of the control shaft, and means for preventing rotative movement of the control shaft until it has first been moved longitudinally.

'7. The combination with a" lifting jack and driving means therefor, of a shaft, means for communicating rotative movement from the driving means to the shaft, said shaft-beingslidable with relation to the driving means" and jack, and means becoming operative when the jack has reached the limit of its stroke in either direction to slide the shaft, to move the communicating means out of engagement with the driving means.

8. Jacking apparatus for a motor vehicle comprising a lifting jack in swinging engagement with the vehicle, a power take-off directly'associated with the transmission of the vehicle, means for communicating power to the jack from the power take-off, means for normally supporting the jack in horizontal, elevated position, and means becoming automatically operable upon the starting of the first mentioned means to swing the jack down into vertical operating position and operable to swing the jack automatically back into normal horizontal position upon reaching the limit of its retracted movement, and means to automatically cause cessation of power to the jack when the jack reaches the limit of its retraction.

9. In combination with a swingable lifting jack for a motor vehicle normally in substantially horizontal position thereunder and adapted for operation from the transmission of the vehicle, means becoming automatically operative upon the application of power to extend the jack, to swing the jack down into substantially vertical operating position, said means becoming operable upon the jack reaching the limit of its retraction to swing the jack back to its initial position, and means to automatically cause cessation of power to the jack when the jack reaches the limit of its retraction.

10. In combination with a swingable lifting jack for a motor vehicle normally in inoperative position thereunder and adapted for operation from the transmission of the vehicle, means becation of power to extend the jack, to swing the jack down into substantially vertical operating position, said means becoming operable upon the jack reaching the limit of its retraction to swing the jack back to its initial position, and means to hold the jack in the latter position, and means to automatically cause cessation of power-to the jack when the jack reaches the limit of its retraction.

11. In combination with a swingable lifting hold the jack in the latter position, and means,

to automatically cause cessation of power to the jack when the jack reaches the limit of its retraction.

12. J acking apparatus for a motor vehicle comprising a lifting jack in swinging engagement with the vehicle, a power take-off associated with the transmission of the vehicle to operate the jack, means for communicating power to the jack from the power take-01f during the lifting range of the jack, automatic means to swing the jack into operating position upon the application of power to the jack, and means to automatically cause cessation of power to the jack when the jack reaches the limit of its extension.

13. Jacking apparatus for a motor vehicle comprising a jack in swinging engagement with the vehicle, means communicating power from the motor of the vehicle to'the jack to operate the same, means to swing the jack from inoperative position to operating position upon application of power to the jack and to swing the jack back to inoperative position upon the jack reaching the limit of its retraction, and automatic means for cuttingoif the power from the jack when the same has reached the limit of its retraction.

JOHN GUTMANN, JR. AUSTIN M. WOLF. 

